


The Great Unknown

by SerStolas



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: M/M, Reunions, Second Chances
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-28
Updated: 2017-07-28
Packaged: 2018-12-08 05:21:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11639757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SerStolas/pseuds/SerStolas
Summary: What if the war pulled Poe Dameron and Finn apart before they really got a chance to learn to love each other?The First Order has been defeated.  The war has officially been over for six months.  Now Finn finds himself at loose ends, wondering what to do with his future.  With a little nudging from Rey, he reaches out to an old friend, and finds that maybe his future isn't as great an unknown as he thought.Inspired by "The Great Unknown" by Rob Thomas





	The Great Unknown

**Author's Note:**

> Star Wars belongs to LucasArts/Disney  
> "The Great Unknown" belongs to Rob Thomas.

Six months ago, the Supreme Leader Snoke had been destroyed.

Six months ago, Kylo Ren had died at the hands of Rey Skywalker.

Six months ago, the First Order had been officially defeated.

In truth, Major Finn had spent six months chasing after former First Order forces and routing them. He'd spent four years after Starkiller under the greatest General he'd ever known. Her death at the end of the war had been a blow to the Resistance, but Admiral  
Statura and Admiral Akbar had somehow held the Resistance together, and Finn had served under them for the past six months, though he was a different branch of the Resistance military, living up to General Organa's memory as best he could.

Now Finn stood at a precipice. Officially, the Resistance Forces were being folded into the Reformed Galactic Republic. He could remain, and serve the Republic, or he could retire from military life and build a new life. There were possibilities. He could train with Luke, as the former Jedi Master had wanted. During the war, FInn had made a conscious decision to train with Leia Organa, though, following a different path than Rey. Finn could also dedicate his life to advocating for the former Storm troopers who had surrendered and survived the war. Some of the former storm troopers could be reformed, others could not, and the process of weeded through them would take years.

He'd been stolen as a baby and raised from childhood as a soldier by the First Order. When he'd broken conditioning and defected, he'd joined the Resistance, as a solider. He was a soldier, a tactician, a sometimes-diplomat for the Resistance.

At almost 28, being a solider was all he'd ever known.

Some kind of logic dictated that since that was what he knew, he should continue to do it, and join the Republic. Finn didn't know if he wanted that for the rest of his life, though. When he'd joined the Resistance, it had been by choice, because it was the best hope of destroying the First Order and saving others from his fate. 

Now, though, he had a real chance at freedom...real freedom, to chose to do whatever he wanted, and he had no idea what to do with it. 

Finn stared out the window of the cruiser and the endless expanse of stars, letting himself think on the future. It, like the universe around him, was a great unknown. His entire life had been spent in combat. Now that peace approached, he didn't know how to live in it. While many hailed him as a hero for defecting, there were others who would never understand him, and who would always mistrust him for being a former Storm trooper.

His thoughts drifted to his friends in the Resistance. He had several among the ground troops now, but his first friends had been among the pilots. Specifically, Commander (now Captain) Poe Dameron.

To this day Poe's expression when he pulled his helmet off for the pilot to see his face on the Star Destroyer was etched in his mind. After Starkiller and serious injury, Poe had been there during his recovery, a true friend, and later lover, for a time at least. But they'd both been aware of the gulf between them: age, experience in the world outside of the First Order. Finn had never been stupid by any means, nor had he been socially incompetent, but overcoming a lifetime of conditioning and having a set of experiences completely foreign to most Resistance personnel made him cautious about forming any kind of attachment.

Just when he'd been sure he was falling in love with Poe, the war had torn them apart. Different missions, different bases, different areas of expertise. Through no one's fault, they'd just drifted apart. Sure, they still sent occasional messages via datapad asking how the other was, letting the other know where they were currently stationed, they couldn't achieve that earlier closeness.

Finn wondered where Poe was now, what he was planning to do now that the war was over. The pilot had mentioned, once, going back to Yavin 4, to his family's ranch. He wondered if the Damerons would mind a visitor. He recalled Poe's father's name was Kes, and that Poe had many aunts, uncles, and cousins on Yavin. Poe was 37 now, he might rejoin the Republic, but given his defection to the Resistance to begin with, FInn wasn't sure about that. 

He didn't know that he wanted to spend his life as a solider. He wanted to know what else was out there. 

"You're thinking too loud," Rey informed him from the doorway.

Finn managed a half smile and glanced over his shoulder at the woman. "Am I?"

"You are," Rey replied. She already knew her goal. She and Luke weren't going to try and rebuild the Jedi Order. If anything, the past four years had taught all of them that it was time for the old ways to be left to the past. Rey intended to study the history of the Jedi with Luke, and develop new ways to train Force Users, rather than Jedi.

Rey crossed the distance and let herself slide under Finn's arm, into the now familiar brotherly embrace. "You've never really stopped, Finn, since Starkiller, except when you were injured. You left the First Order and just kept going." She glanced up at him. "Maybe it's time to just stop for awhile. Think about what you want before you make a decision."

Finn tilted his head. "But where do I stop?"

Rey chuckled softly. "Why don't you reach out to Poe, as a friend, and see where he is, see if he minds a visitor? You're not expecting anything of him, you just want to see a friend. And if that doesn't work out, you can accompany me and Father for a while, just observing while we examine ruins."

He knew Rey was right. He needed to slow down, just let himself be while he decided what he wanted his future to look like.

"I'll send him a message tonight," Finn promised. If nothing else, it would be a few days hopefully with a friend, a chance to interact with Poe outside the war, outside the Resistance. And if some small part of him hoped maybe Poe wasn't with anyone, and might be interested in seeing Finn a bit more, well, could you blame him?

~~  
The first thing Finn noticed when he stepped off the shuttle at the small Yavin 4 spaceport was the humidity. It reminded him, briefly, of D'Qar. He grinned and heft his rutsack over one shoulder, moving towards in-processing.

When Finn had messaged Poe, he'd been delighted, and a little surprised, to find a reply the following morning. Since the war had officially ended, Poe had resigned his commission with the Resistance and returned home to Yavin 4. Since then he'd started his own shipping business. The small population of Yavin 4 had grown over the years and there was a need for it. With backpay from the Resistance, and some help from his father, Poe had managed to afford a Barloz-class medium freighter. He spent his time between his father's ranch and on cargo runs (purely legitimate, he assured in his message). 

The tone of Poe's response was friendly, and he invited Finn to come spend a few weeks on Yavin 4 so they could catch up. Finn had spent the next two weeks resigning from the Resistance military and passing his duties over to another officer, then bought a ticket to Yavin 4.

His civies were worn but comfortable, and he carried the jacket Poe had given him so many years ago over one shoulder. As he worked through customs, he glanced around, looking for the man who had promised to meet him.

Finn felt his heart beat a little faster, and he told it to stop, when he saw Poe. There was more gray in his hair, but he still had that riot of curls Finn had loved carding his fingers through. Poe's olive skin might bear a few more scars, but his brown eyes were as warm as ever, and when Finn approached, Poe opened his arms wide and pulled Finn into am embrace.

"It's been too long, buddy," Poe told him. If he held Finn a moment longer than he needed to, neither of them said anything. Poe was smiling when he pulled back. "It's kriffing good to see you."

"You too, Dameron," Finn replied. Things felt right, in this moment, like something Finn had been reaching for for weeks was finally in his grasp. "Thanks for having me."

"My pleasure, and my dad's," Poe said. "He can't wait to meet you. Come on, I've got a two seat speeder."

Finn walked beside Poe on the way to the speeder, letting his eyes drift around them, taking in the greenery. "Just like you described it," Finn told him when Poe shot him a look. He smiled. "I like it."

"Yavin grows on you," Poe grinned. "Just wait."

Some part of Finn wanted to ask if that was an invitation to stay longer than just a few weeks, but he didn't, not for now. He was glad, though, that his dark brown skin was too dark to really show a blush.

The seating in the speeder was tight, and Finn found his calf pressed against Poe's as the the greenery whizzed by on the way to the Dameron ranch. It was a comfortable pressure, one Finn remembered from days of sitting beside Poe in the mess eating dinner, or watching a holo together. He realized now how much he'd missed it.

"So you're letter said you were trying to figure out what you wanted to do?" Poe asked conversationally as he guided the speeder.

"Yeah," Finn said absently, his eyes on the tree line. "I could advocate on behalf of Storm troopers, or perhaps just settle down somewhere, I'm not sure yet. I think I'm done with the military. To be honest, I'm kind of glad. I want to learn to be something other than a soldier."

"Could become a diplomat, a rancher, just about anything, buddy," Poe told him. "But I think Rey was right. You need a chance to just live first..live outside of the war, enjoy yourself for more than just a few hours at at time."

Poe shot him a look then, something warm in his brown eyes, that reminded Finn of nights years ago when he lay entwined with Poe. He felt a warmth growing in him in response.

"Yavin 4 seems to be a good place to do that," Finn ventured.

Poe grinned. "It is."  
~~

Kes Dameron welcomed Finn with open arms, and for more, he told Finn, than just rescuing his son from a Star Destroyer. he showed Finn to a room just down the hall from Poe's, and that night, Kes made them all a fantastic egg dish called Huevos Rancheros (because breakfast was good any time of day). Finn found himself relaxing in a way he hadn't in years.

Poe advised that he could take a few weeks off from shipments, and he and Finn felt into a pattern over the next several days. They stayed up late recounting their days in the Resistance, telling stories of their individual missions, and talked about what they'd been doing since the end of the war. They slept late and Kes or Poe would make breakfast, then Poe would show Finn the sights of Yavin 4, from his childhood memories, to the village, to the old ruins where the Rebellion had once been housed. 

More than once Finn found his fingers creeping towards Poe's, but he never felt brave enough to take the other man's hand. Sometimes he swore Poe's fingers crept towards his. Their fingers touched sometimes, but neither ever actually grabbed the other's hand.

They'd sit on the porch swing late in the evening, drinking beer or whiskey, their thighs and calves pressed lightly against each other on the snug swing, just talking.

As Finn relaxed into the days, he found himself thinking about how great it would be for this to be his every day.

As the weeks of his planned visit drew to and end, he found himself debating Poe's words about how Yavin grew on it. It had, in just a few short weeks, and Finn wasn't sure if it was just the planet, or the company. He had just a few more days left when he came out onto the porch to find Poe dealing with a particularly cantankerous old man trying to get parts shipped off planet.

"Your price is ridiculous," the old man muttered at Poe, arms crossed over his chest. It was clear from Poe's expression they'd just been going round and round for awhile.

"Given the weight and size of the parts he'd be hauling, I'd say his price is pretty fair," Finn found himself venturing. He briefly remembered negotiating a few times with suppliers for weapons and medical supplies for the Resistance. "In my line of work, I've seen far lighter loads carried for far more credits. But why don't you tell us what you think is fair, and I can give you a comparison?"

"Really?" the old man asked, taking in Finn's smooth tone.

Finn suddenly found himself discussing shipping prices with the old man, with Poe interjecting now and then with his own opinion and numbers. Within a quarter of an hour, the old man had agreed to Poe's rate, and insisting on shaking hands with both Poe and Finn to seal the deal.

As they watched him go, Poe shot a glance at Finn and grinned. "You know, you've got a certain way with people, better than I do sometimes. I was starting to lose my patience."

Finn shrugged. "Just something I developed, over time. I spent as much time ordering troops as I did talking to locals."

"It's a valuable skill," Poe told him. "One businesses like mine could use." His tone was very casual, but Finn had learned to read between the lines. 

He met Poe's brown eyes with his own. "A few weeks ago, you said Yavin 4 grows on you. I think you're right."

"You can always stay here, if you want," Poe suggested, gesturing around at the ranch. "They could use your experience with Storm troopers, and you were the first, though not the only now."

"They could, and sometimes I think I could help...but I don't know that I want politics and diplomatic issues to be my life," Finn admitted.

"Well, if you're up for it, I could use a business partner," Poe said helpfully.

Just friends, Finn thought, old friends, but good friends. He smiled. "I think I'd like that, though, give me a night to fully decide?"

"Fair enough," Poe replied, though Finn thought he saw hope flicker in the other man's eyes.

That night Finn lay in bed well past midnight, thinking about Poe's offer. Finally, he drifted off, though he felt too keyed up for it to be an easy sleep.

Maybe it was the whiskey they'd had that night, or because his mind had been so active, but Finn's dreams pulled him back onto that Star Destroyer. He felt himself walking with Poe towards the Tie Fighter, telling himself to keep calm.

The Phasma was there, a chrome monster blocking his way.

"FN-2187, where are you taking this prisoner?" the chrome figure demanded. "You are to report to my unit." For reconditioning, though she didn't say it aloud. He saw two troopers pulling he and Poe apart, the wild look in Poe's eyes, and then heard Kylo Ren's mocking laughter as Finn was dragged off, a suffocating sensation pushing into his mind, telling him he was FN-2187 over and over again.

He didn't realize he was awake at first, sitting bolt upright in his bed in the Dameron house. He heard screaming, and realized it was his own, and his throat felt raw. 

Another figure was there with him, gripping his arms gently, pulling him into a warm, comforting embrace.

Poe. He breathed out, not realizing he'd said it aloud.

"I'm here, Finn, I'm here, buddy," Poe said soothingly, Finn's head pressed into his neck. He felt Finn's tears, hot against his skin.

Finally Finn pulled back, staring at Poe in the pale moonlight. Both were only wearing sleeping shorts due to the hot, humid air of Yavin. "They were taking me away from you," Finn said softly. "The First Order...they were taking us apart."

"They're gone," Poe reassured him. "It's you and me and my dad, on Yavin-4."

As Finn sat there, still holding onto Poe, he saw something questioning in the other man's eyes. 

Slowly, as if Poe would vanish in his arms, Finn leaned forward, and brushed his lips against the other man's.

Poe leaned into the kiss, just as slowly, gently, his arms tightening just a little around Finn. When he finally pulled back, he was wearing a look of wonder, and hope. "Finn, I-"

"I've missed you, Poe," Finn said. "So much. I've wondered, over the years, what might have happened if-"

"If we hadn't separated, because of the war," Poe finished for him. he heaved a sigh. "I have too," he admitted.

"Do you think maybe, we can try again?" Finn ventured.

Finn's heart beat a rapid tattoo in his chest at Poe's smile. "Yeah, buddy, I think we can," Poe said.

They were both smiling, as Finn leaned in for another kiss.


End file.
